Just before Thanksgiving I discovered that my local dealer had become authorized for the Triangle line. I spent a total of ~2hrs siting and listening in the showroom (with Cairn electronics- nice combo).

I was intially attracted to these because of the sensitivity (a relatively high 91db/w) and the benign load (mostly a gentle 4-8ohms). I have a number of vintage tube amps that I listen to and was looking for a speaker that would match up a little better than what I already have.

I had read all of the reviews and I felt that if they live up to the hype then they had to be the audio bargin of all time. Realizing that there is no such thing as a free lunch (especially where a costly hobby is concerned), I was skeptical. The pair I listened to in the showroom had been run in for "more than 100hrs" according to the dealer. The reviews noted that that speakers require alot of break in, but that the basic sonic signature is present from day 1.

Well- on with the show.

The Titus replace a pr of Celestion-100. The Celestion pr had been my main speakers for 2.5yrs and I am very familiar with how they sound. Back to back, the difference is like night and day !! To use an audiophile cliche- reproduction via the Titus sounds like a veil has been lifted from the music.

Out of the box, I can undersand why some say these are bright speakers. I use tubes and was unprepared for the amount of treble. BUT, the treble is nonfatiqueing. Bass responce is quite a bit less than the Celestion's I had been useing. I would suspect that some of the brightness I hear is also a result of the different tonal balance- lighter bass subjectively makeing the speaker sound brighter- The bass, while less prominent, is quite detailed and "tight". I can clearly hear fingering changes on acoustic bass and when a drummer hits a different part of the drum head for example. With the Celestions, I had to listen for these details or they would go unnoticed.

The transient responce of these speakers is outstanding. I finally understand what "fast" means. The percusive impact of the drum stick hitting the drum now is easily picked out.

Soundstage width, depth and placement are excellent. I can easily "hear" outside of the distance between the speakers. Backround sounds are now easily discerned. Listening to Lyle Lovet- Joshua Judges Ruth / Church, at several points I had thought that my wife had said something to me, when in fact she was not even in the room. Uncanny realism.

As I said, the first point that struck me regarding these speakers was the treble responce. Some of this may be due to the sonic balance (less sujective bass responce) and some may be due to placement. These speakers are on the same 24in stands that were used with the Celestions, but the Titus is physically smaller. As a result, my ears are almost directly on the tweeter axis, instead of just below. All that said, I would consider the treble as incisive rather than fatiqueing. Cymbols had more shimmer and decay and I could more easily hear the strike and ring when a cymbol was struck for example.

On vocals, I noticed no sign of nasality with the male spoken voice and females sound great- I listened to Norah Jones and was quite taken with her breathy close miked vocals. I have not listened to Ella or Sarah yet but that will come in time.

Overall, I am happy with my purchase. I do not think they live up to all of the hype, but they are definately "worth" more than the asking price. I would urge anyone looking for speakers priced under $750 to at least listen to these. I do think they redefine what is possible for budget speakers.

So far I have only used a stock Dynaco ST-70. In the future I will try these with a variety of 6bq5 amps I have on hand.

Thanks for the bandwidth !!!

Ross

Product Weakness:

Comparatively weak bass responce, bright out of the box and require alot of break-in. I would be wary of useing these with a lean, bright digitally based system.